The Green Door
by Clara Barton
Summary: Duo visits an adult novelty store for the first time.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Just a one shot to get back into writing, and then I'm going to tackle some prompts and… revisit a fic I've abandoned and try to revive it.

A/N 2: For Amberly - thanks so much for all of the support but also, of course, for chatting about this idea!

A/N 3: As always, a thousand thank yous - and still not enough - to Ro for beta reading and always supporting me.

Warnings: language, sex

Pairings: 5x2 (ish), 1xR, MxH, 3x5

 _The Green Door_

10:45

Wufei blinked his eyes open slowly, staring at the slightly blurry screen of his phone as the alarm continued to blare through the speakers, impossibly loud.

He scowled, fumbling to turn it off before he reached past the phone on his nightstand and snagged his glasses.

It was Sunday morning. Why the hell had his alarm gone off when-

 _Fuck_.

He scrambled out of bed as he remembered last night - or rather, this _morning_ at three - when Meilin had called him to say that her flight had been grounded, had apologized and bitched about being stuck in the airport with Hilde, who not only hated flying but hated the smell of airports, and had finally gotten to the _point_ of her three a.m. phone call to ask Wufei to run the store on Sunday because she wouldn't be there.

The store, which opened at eleven on Sundays.

And for some reason, Wufei had thought that _fifteen minutes_ would be enough time to get ready. Wufei, who had spent _all_ of Friday and Saturday running the store so that Meilin and Hilde could go skiing, who had been at the store until one a.m. last night closing up, and then not gotten home until five a.m. because he had promised to go see Trowa's band and one thing had led to another, which had, as usual, led to Wufei drinking _just_ enough to ensure the faintest - and most annoying - of hangovers the next day and, again as usual, a rushed, bruising fuck in Trowa's battered SUV.

Wufei emptied his bladder, feeling the dull headache already, and he worked his tongue around his dry mouth, asking himself - as he did nearly _every_ Sunday morning - why the hell he thought he could still stay out until five in the morning like he had when he was eighteen.

After brushing his teeth and downing a glass of tap water, Wufei pulled on clean clothes, spent a good three minutes searching for his keys before he found them by the cat food - which thankfully reminded him to feed Nataku - before he slammed out of his apartment.

10:57

It was a seven minute drive to the shop from his apartment, and since Wufei was already going to be late, he might as well stop for coffee on the way.

Coffee and a bottle of water.

And a bagel.

It was 11:15 when he finally pulled into the parking lot and, because the universe wasn't his biggest fan, there was a car parked in the parking lot and a figure clearly visible in the driver's side, drumming on the steering wheel.

Wufei sighed in irritation - he should have set his alarm earlier. He hated it when other people were late, and he never allowed himself to be late. But it had been a long few days and an exhausting night.

He balanced his coffee, water and bagel in one hand while he fished for his keys with the other, and managed to successfully unlock the front door without incident.

Dropping the food off by the front counter, Wufei worked quickly to get the store ready and, just two minutes later, walked towards the front and flicked on the neon light above the door.

 _The Green Door._

It had been Meilin's suggestion - both the name _and_ the store.

Wufei was pretty sure that it was all an elaborate and not at all subtle way to give her parents the finger for disowning her when she came out.

Of course, his own parents weren't exactly _comfortable_ with the knowledge that their only child was bisexual, but instead of out-right cutting him off, they preferred to parade attractive and accomplished women in front of him every time he begrudgingly agreed to attend a family event.

They hadn't been thrilled about the shop either, actually staring at him in open-mouthed shock when he announced that he was using the money he had inherited from his uncle to go into business with his ex-girlfriend and open up an adult novelty store.

He wondered, but hadn't cared enough to ask, what they told the prospective wives they tried to lure him in with - he doubted his mother was even capable of _saying_ the sentence, "My son owns a sex toy shop."

Probably they lied, or at least attempted to make it sound better - they probably just said he owned his own business, or that he was an investor.

The reality - their queer son sold vibrators, and was just as likely to bring home a man as a woman - was probably something they couldn't even admit to _themselves_.

Wufei settled behind the counter, turning on the iPad and getting the register set up, and finished off the coffee as he prepared himself for a very, very boring Sunday.

It had been Meilin's idea to open the store on Sundays, after Hilde, who worked in a head shop down the road, mentioned that _they_ had a lot of business on Sundays. Not surprisingly, to Wufei, _The Green Door_ only did a slow trickle of business most Sundays.

Since Meilin usually took the Sunday shifts - Wufei didn't give a damn about honoring the Christian sabbath but he _did_ care about sleeping in after his usual late nights on Saturday - it wasn't usually that big of a deal.

Wufei had only managed a few bites of his bagel when the front door opened and a customer - probably the one who had had to wait for Wufei to arrive - walked in.

Chewing frantically, Wufei looked up.

The customer - a young, lean man dressed in tight, dark jeans and a fitted black t-shirt - had a long braid of brown hair flipped over one shoulder and sunglasses over his eyes that, as Wufei watched, he removed to reveal startling blue eyes.

Wufei swallowed and coughed, catching the man's attention.

"Morning," Wufei managed to say after taking a sip of water. "What are you looking for today?"

The man nodded, his cheeks pinking up.

"Morning. I'm just… just looking."

He sounded nervous, anxious, and his body language - hands shoved into his pockets and shoulders hunched - suggested that he was embarrassed as well.

Wufei let him wander for a few minutes - watching as he looked at the wall of vibrators, the row of butt plugs, and the row of dildos while his blue eyes got progressively wider and his cheeks progressively pinker.

Finally, Wufei walked around the counter and approached him.

"Anything I can help you with?"

The man's cheeks blazed with color and he shook his head.

"No, no, I'm just… I'm just l-"

"Just looking. So you said. What are you looking _for_?"

The man turned to Wufei with a scowl.

"I'm not going to steal anything, dude. You don't need to hover over me or anything."

"Shame," Wufei drawled, looking over the man again, "I was curious to see you try to smuggle _Black Beauty_ out of here." He nodded towards the oversized black dildo that sat on display near the front of the store.

The man's eyes widened comically.

"Dude… I… That thing is fucking huge."

Wufei smirked, but nodded in agreement - it _was_ fairly intimidating.

"Not what you came in for?" he asked.

The man shook his head.

"No, no. I, uh… I'm looking for a... friend. He and his boyfriend broke up and it's his birthday, so I figured…" the man trailed off and scratched the back of his neck, his cheeks once again pink.

He was, Wufei decided, adorable.

And clearly lying.

Wufei had been doing this for long enough to know that _most_ customers who came in looking for gifts for "friends" usually weren't nervous about it - unless the _friend_ was really themselves.

"That's very considerate of you, and unfortunate for him," Wufei said, fighting to keep his voice neutral.

The man shrugged, hands back in his pockets.

"I mean, it was mutual or whatever, I guess. Only really shit thing was having to get a new apartment, you know - two years living together and…" he trailed off and shook his head. "Anyway. Just wanted to get him something…"

Wufei nodded, and then gestured at the rows around them.

"What kind of toy is your friend interested in?"

The man looked a little panicked as he looked around again.

"Vibrators, dildos, plugs, rings, masturbators, nipple toys, probes, prostate toys, anal beads, pornography?"

"Uh… I mean, he's… you know, I guess pretty vanilla or whatever?" The man's cheeks were once again red, and he bit the corner of his lower lip. "So...I… I guess a vibrator?"

Wufei gestured towards the wall of vibrators, organized by color at Meilin's insistence, so that it presented a giant rainbow that took up the back wall of the store. Because of the color organization, anal vibrators and vaginal vibrators were mixed together, and Wufei had, more than once, had to tell female customers that the toy they had chosen was likely to be unfulfilling.

He walked over, the other man following him slowly, and decided that, instead of asking him for any specifics - size, style - he should just show him a few.

"This is one of our most popular," he said, and picked up a clear blue vibrator. "The Blue Dolphin," Wufei said, his lips twisting into a smirk. "Totally waterproof - so you can use it in the shower or in bed."

"Er, not me - my friend."

"Right. Sorry."

Wufei held the vibrator out, but the man just stared at it.

He took it back and twisted the bottom dial, starting the vibrator going on a low speed.

The man's eyes widened.

"It's variable speed and only an inch wide, so it's pretty slim."

"Uh huh."

Wufei couldn't tell if the man was just overwhelmed or unimpressed, so he turned it off and set it back on the shelf before stepping around the man to reach for another vibrator, this one a pearlescent turquoise.

"This is the Midnight Vibrator - the shaft is curved, so it's better for prostate stimulation."

"It's bigger," the man said.

Wufei nodded in agreement.

"Seven inches long, an inch and a half wide… I'm not sure what your friend is used to; do you think he wants something slimmer?"

"No, no - bigger is better. I mean - not like _big_ ," the man gestured towards _Black Beauty_ again, "but, like… seven inches is fine. Right?"

Wufei felt his lips twitch at the man's need for support on this.

"Yes. It's a pretty standard size in vibrators. On the larger size, but not _huge_."

The man nodded, sighed, and once again refused to touch the vibrator when Wufei held it out.

So, once again, Wufei turned it on to demonstrate the vibration control.

"It's not waterproof - you can still wash it with soap and water, but it can't be submerged. It's also made out of PVC, not silicone."

"Oh. PVC? Like… the really bad shit?"

Wufei, who regularly donated to GreenPeace and routinely wrote and called both his elected representatives to push for more sustainable energy production and pollution controls, couldn't help but sneer and nod.

"Uh, I think I'll pass."

Wufei took the man over to the far end of the wall, where rows of black vibrators stood out against the colorful wall.

"Tom of Finland makes some of my favorite vibrators," Wufei said, picking up the somewhat intimidating vibrator that consisted of five stacked balls.

The man bit his lip.

"That looks pretty big."

Wufei nodded in agreement.

"It's nine and a half inches - seven inches that you can insert - but it is two inches wide." So pretty big, he agreed. "Too big?"

The man hesitated.

"No, I don't think so. I mean… I think my friend might… appreciate that."

Wufei held out the vibrator and, once again, the man just stared at it like it was a poisonous snake.

"You're already here. You might as well touch it," Wufei pointed out.

The man very gingerly accepted the black vibrator, and Wufei turned it on to the lower vibration speed.

"It has two speeds," he said, watching the man swallow hard and lick his lips before again biting his lower lip.

He was, Wufei amended his earlier thought, sexy as hell when he did that. Adorable, yes, but sexy as hell too.

"It also has three different vibration patterns - so a lot of options to figure out what you like best. What your _friend_ likes best," Wufei corrected himself.

The man nodded, his long fingers running over the smooth black surface of the vibrator.

"What's it made of?"

"Silicone. It's also not porous - so you can used water based lubricants. And, of course, it's hypoallergenic." Wufei tapped the top, and then the bottom ball, with his index finger. "These two are the most powerful - in terms of vibration - so it's decent for prostate stimulation. Not great, but better than most vibrators."

"Do you… do you think something else would be better?"

"For prostate stimulation?"

The man nodded, and Wufei smirked.

"Of course there is. Let's put this back - unless you wanted to hang onto it?"

The man passed it over with a sheepish look, and Wufei took him away from the wall of vibrators and towards the row of mostly black prostate toys.

The man's eyes were wider than ever, and Wufei could understand why. The prostate stimulators were shaped very differently than any of the vibrators or dildos that the man had looked at previously, or was likely to be familiar with considering his level of nervousness.

"The Rocks Off line is really good." Wufei indicated the top shelf. "I have the Rude-Boy and the Bad-Boy. Both are silicone, decent sized, and, because of the bullet vibrator, it's going to give you very intense orgasms."

"You… have a lot of these."

Wufei shrugged.

"It's good to know the products I'm selling."

"Sure, but you're…" the man gestured at Wufei, and Wufei arched an eyebrow.

"I'm what?"

"I don't know… I just… figured a guy like you wouldn't really _need_ to use something fake or…"

Wufei snorted a laugh.

"There's nothing fake about pleasure, and I think it's important for _everyone_ to be able to give themselves pleasure and appreciate their own body. There's no shame in using a toy to get off solo - or to enhance sex with a partner."

The man sighed, and his shoulders relaxed.

"Yeah?"

"Of course. Now, these work by inserting this end into the rectum, while _this_ end nestles against your perineum so you feel vibrations against your prostate from two directions."

"Wow."

The man accepted the Rude-Boy that Wufei handed him, gingerly thumbing on the bullet vibrator himself and, once again, biting his lower lip.

"It's… not as big as the regular vibrators."

"No," Wufei agreed. "Most of these are only four or five inches of insertable length. This one," he picked up a three point massager, "is just a little longer and has three points of vibration."

"Three? Where does the third point go?"

Wufei smirked at the man's reaction.

"Supposedly, it's another stimulation along the rectum. I don't know - I haven't tried it. But it _is_ bigger."

"Right."

The man looked between the three point vibrator and the Rude-Boy still merrily vibrating away in his hand.

"Bigger isn't always better," Wufei said.

The man smirked, and then snorted a laugh.

"Yeah. Fair enough. Okay… I guess… let's go with the Rude-Boy?"

Wufei took the test vibrator back from him and picked up one of the unopened boxes on the shelf. He passed it over and the man took the box with both hands, cheeks once again flushed.

"Do you want to get lube and cleaner - while you're here?"

"Huh?"

"For your friend. In case he… didn't take lube with him when he moved. And in any case, you should clean toys before and after every use."

"Oh. Right. Uh, sure. He could use some lube."

Wufei picked up a spray bottle of cleaner and then took the man towards the display of anal lubricants.

It was at that moment that the bell over the door rang, signaling the entrance of another customer.

The man swore, fumbling with the box he held, and dropped it.

Wufei picked it up for him, passing it over and noticing the man's bright red cheeks.

"I'll be right with you," Wufei called out to the man and woman who stepped inside.

"No, no," the braided man mumbled, "I'm uh, I'm fine. I can get the lube without any help."

"You know what kind he uses?"

The man gave Wufei an exasperated look, and Wufei had to smirk slightly.

"Just go up to the counter when you're ready," Wufei told him."

"Yeah, sure thing."

Wufei watched him walk over towards the lube, and then turned to walk over to the couple perusing DVDs.

After pointing out the collection of BDSM films when they asked, Wufei noticed the braided man was standing awkwardly by the register.

He moved over to him, taking the bottle of System JO lube from him, the cleaner and the Rude-Boy box.

"Anything else?" Wufei asked as he rang up the purchases. "Any films or other toys?"

"No, I think this is probably a good start."

Wufei nodded in agreement, waiting while the man swiped his debit card and entered in his PIN number.

Wufei bagged the items and slipped in the store's business card.

"If you have any questions - or your _friend_ does - feel free to call."

"Yeah?" The man raised an eyebrow.

"Of course. I'm Wufei, by the way."

"Duo," the man held out a hand, and Wufei shook it. "I, uh, appreciate the help. For my friend."

They shared a smirk.

"My pleasure," Wufei assured him.

Duo let go of his hand and stepped away, walking towards the front door and then pausing as he looked back at Wufei.

It was Wufei's turn to arch an eyebrow, and Duo drew in a deep breath and walked back.

His cheeks were once again pink.

"Look, uh, I don't know if… I mean, this is probably way off base and you probably get asked out at work all of the time, and it's probably annoying as fuck, but if you- I mean, would you- Could I-"

Wufei picked up another store card, his movements halting Duo's rambling.

He wrote his cell number on the back of the card.

"Why don't you call me sometime - you can tell me how the Rude-Boy worked out. And you can ask me out when I'm not at work."

Duo took the card, his lips turning up into a happy smirk and his eyes glittering.

"Yeah, okay. I will."

-o-


	2. Chapter 2

A/N1: So, decided to write a sequel to this. I've had a few people ask and, well, the mood struck me.

A/N2: Thank you always to Ro for editing. And to Kangfu-CB for Enabling.

Warnings: sex, language

Pairings: 2x5, 3x5, 2x3x5, Rx1, MxH

 _The Green Door_

Chapter Two

"So, how does it feel to be old?"

Wufei arched his eyebrow at the question, at the smug look on Trowa's face as the other man took a long sip of his beer, clearly savoring Wufei's disgruntlement.

"I'm not old," he balked.

It was Trowa's turn to raise an eyebrow. He sat his beer bottle, now nearly empty, back on the table between them.

They were at _Hop's Place_ , the not-quite dive bar that Trowa preferred to visit when they went out during the week. The bar wasn't Wufei's favorite, from the dim lighting to the questionably-sticky floors, counters and tabletops, but it was close to Trowa's house, and not that far from Wufei's. He knew that part of the reason Trowa kept insisting they go there was because he enjoyed pushing Wufei to the edge of his comfort zone, enjoyed getting to smirk at Wufei as he gingerly, _futilely_ tried to wipe off the surfaces he encountered. And Wufei, of course, was too damn stubborn to simply insist they go somewhere else. Like the bar literally across the street, that might be dull but at least was _clean_.

Of course, _Hop's Place_ featured a wide array of locally-brewed beers, including the craft beers that Trowa's family made. His sister - the brains, as Wufei liked to say - ran the company, while Trowa traveled the region and, more recently, the country, setting up distribution deals.

"You turn thirty next week," Trowa pointed out.

Wufei blinked in surprise, ready to deny it, but then he thought about it.

 _Shit_.

He did turn thirty next week. He sighed and closed his eyes. _That_ was probably why he had three new messages from his mother and two missed calls from his father.

They had had one of their regularly-scheduled family shouting matches two weeks ago, when Wufei came over for dinner only to be ambushed with Esther Cho, his mother's newest attempt to lure him into heterosexuality. Esther, in her final year of residency, was everything Wufei's parents wanted for him - from a good family, with a promising career in family medicine ahead of her and the proper, demonstrated respect for both her parents and his. The most frustrating thing about the entire dinner, Wufei was forced to admit - privately, and only inside his own head - was that, if Esther hadn't been foisted off onto Wufei by his mother, if he had met her literally _anywhere_ else, he would have been interested in her. She was funny, brilliant, and her smile left her eyes twinkling with mischief and her lips tilting just enough to convey deeper, more reserved amusement.

His mother had caught him staring at Esther one time too many, and after Wufei's prospective bride left, Wufei helped his mother clear the table and the fight began. Because Wufei's father said it was a _sign_ of Wufei's abhorrent ways that he wanted to help wash dishes, and then his mother argued that clearly Wufei was just confused - that he and Esther would settle down in _no time,_ and the girl was clearly nothing like Meilan, who should be _ashamed_ of herself, living openly with that _woman_ \- that _white_ woman, no less, and-

And it had spiraled down from there. Wufei had left, hours and several broken plates later, in an angry huff, and he hadn't answered their calls or texts since.

"You turned thirty two months ago," Wufei had to point out to Trowa, desperate to change the topic, desperate not to think about the fact that he _was_ getting old.

Trowa snorted and held up a finger to signal their waiter for another round.

"I know. I was there, drinking out of a cowboy hat, suffering through lap dances for two hours."

Wufei rolled his eyes.

"Suffering? Is that what you call it? You sure as hell didn't _look_ like you were suffering."

Trowa shrugged.

"That's because I'm an exceptional actor."

"You're at least exceptionally delusional," Wufei muttered.

Trowa reached across the table and tapped one long finger on Wufei's nose.

"Pot," the auburn-haired man said with a smirk, "meet kettle."

Wufei rolled his eyes, ready to offer up a quip, but then his phone started to ring.

It was still fairly early, only eight at night, which meant the store was still open. Wufei made it a point to keep his phone always on and in easy reach during business hours, ever since the time that Meilan had locked herself out of the store in the dead of winter and had had to walk the two miles to Wufei's house and interrupt an afternoon of athletic and rather fantastic sex with a man whose name Wufei couldn't remember. Kevin? Colin? _Quatre_.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, but didn't recognize the number.

Still, he answered the phone.

"Hello?" He had also learned not to immediately answer with his own name, not after more than a few calls from acquaintances of his mother or angry, tearful calls from his own exes.

"Uh, Wufei?" The voice on the other end of the line sounded a little hesitant, male, and unfamiliar.

"Yes, this is Wufei. Who is this?"

"It's Duo. Duo Maxwell. Well, Duo. I don't think I told you my last name- I mean, it was on the credit card and all, but you- you probably didn't even look and it's-"

Wufei interrupted the rush of words, amused.

"Duo. What can I do for you?"

"Er, well, I was- You said I should give you a call, sometime, if I wanted to ask you out."

Wufei frowned and tried to rack his brain. He didn't remember a Duo. That previous weekend, at the club where Trowa's band played, Wufei had flirted with quite a few people, men and women. For the life of him, he didn't remember giving out his phone number, though. Not when he had gone there with the sole intention of going home with Trowa.

"I, uh, came by the store a few weeks ago? You helped me pick out something, and I sort of asked you out and-"

" _Duo_ ," Wufei remembered now. The long-haired white guy, whose eyes were a fascinating shade of blue, and who had blushed and stammered his way through the lie of being at _The Green Door_ to buy a vibrator for his _friend_. "Yes, I remember you."

He had been mildly disappointed when Duo hadn't called him sometime that next week, but had written the encounter and the other man off entirely after that. It wasn't the first time a cute guy had asked him out at work, and it wouldn't be the last.

Across the table, Trowa was putting on quite the show of examining his nails, a look of long-suffering boredom on his face. Wufei rolled his eyes at him, and Trowa smirked in response.

"Oh. Good. That's good. I- How have you been?"

"I've been well. And you? Enjoying your Rude Boy?" Wufei had to tease.

Trowa's eyes widened, and he shifted, leaning his elbows on the table, interest now fully on Wufei. Wufei kicked the other man under the table, but Trowa just trapped Wufei's leg between his own, almost jerking him off of his own seat.

"I- Yeah, it's been… really nice," Duo admitted, and then chuckled ruefully. "I really appreciate your help."

"Of course, I was happy to be of assistance. But that's not why you called, is it?" he prompted.

"No- no, uh, no. Sorry. I used to be pretty good at this, or, well, I didn't used to suck this much." Wufei could hear the other man sigh in frustration, and he remembered Duo's story, about his "friend" who had broken up with his boyfriend of two years.

"You're doing fine," Wufei assured him, trying to jerk his leg free of Trowa's. The other man just reached under the table with his right arm and pressed his palm over Wufei's thigh, slowly running his fingers over the inseam of Wufei's jeans.

Wufei's glare did nothing to deter him, and with a frustrated sigh of his own, Wufei shifted in his seat, opening his legs a little, trying to make himself more comfortable and _maybe_ intentionally giving Trowa more access to his leg. And areas further north.

"So, uh, any chance you'd like to go out with me?"

"Yes," Wufei said, "I would."

Trowa had taken the hint, and, still smirking, was running his thumb further up the inseam of Wufei's jeans, teasing at Wufei's crotch.

Their waiter finally arrived with another round of beers, but Trowa didn't pause in his teasing, fingers still sending sparks of sensation along Wufei's nerve endings even as he winked at the waiter and thanked him for the drinks.

"Are you free this Saturday?" Duo asked.

"I am, any time after four." Meilan was running a community event at the store Saturday night, an event specifically geared towards lesbian couples, and they had agreed that it would be best if Wufei let her man the store alone. Or woman the store, as it was. Instead, he was saddled with the Sunday shift, which meant he would _not_ be staying out until 5am.

"Great, that's great. We could get dinner, maybe? I work until six, but I could pick you up after that, or meet you somewhere?"

"Do you like sushi?" Wufei asked, breath catching as Trowa pressed just _so_. He flushed and glared at Trowa, who simply repeated the gesture until Wufei found himself squirming in his seat.

"I do, yeah. There's this great place over on-"

"Main?" Wufei interrupted.

Duo laughed, and the sound had Wufei's own lips curving in response. Duo's laugh, even his embarrassed laugh, was nice. Warm, rich, washing over Wufei in a surprisingly pleasant way. Especially coupled with the things Trowa was doing to him.

Wufei inched his legs even farther apart, ignoring the glitter of suppressed amusement in Trowa's eyes. The other man slid his hand over Wufei's thighs, hand molding to the hardening bulge of Wufei's cock.

"Yeah, that's the one," Duo agreed. "Sushi on Main. I can call in reservations for us at seven?"

"Sounds good," Wufei said, a little breathless now as he tried not to rock into Trowa's hand slowly, maddeningly stroking over him.

"Great. I'll meet you there. I'm looking forward to it, Wufei." Duo said his name perfectly, syllables rolling off of his tongue in such a way that Wufei found himself shivering.

Trowa grinned openly, mistaking the expression for a reaction to his ministrations.

"Me too," Wufei assured him, and then hung up the phone. He dropped it to the tabletop, wincing as it didn't bounce but instead fell with a _thud_ that even sounded sticky.

He glared at Trowa, who looked not at all repenentent.

Of course, the fact that Wufei was flushed, his cock hard and his breathing shallow, probably didn't make Trowa feel all that regretful.

"You're impossible," Wufei growled.

"Don't I know it," Trowa agreed.

They had grown up together, had gone to high school and then college together, had spent years denying that there was any sexual attraction between them before finally giving in during their junior year of college. It had been a disaster. The sex had been amazing - spectacular, even - since they trusted each other enough to experiment, to push and give and take. But the fights had been spectacular in an entirely different way. Wufei, used to the shouting matches at home, used to Meilan always arguing with him over _every single thing_ , had assumed that that was simply how people did things. It wasn't how Trowa did things - Wufei yelled, and Trowa retreated. He hoarded his frustrations, his insecurities, and eventually, when they became too much, his anger was cold and miserable and cutting.

They were, perhaps, too familiar with each other. When they graduated, Wufei moved home and went into business with Meilan while Trowa went on to graduate school, traveling up to New York to get his MBA and coming back two years later.

Two years in which they had exchanged emails, texts and phone calls. Two years in which they had both realized that the only relationship between them that could realistically work was friendship.

 _With benefits_ , Trowa was always quick to add, smirking. Because the sex really _was_ amazing.

And they cared about each other, understood each other, and, in ways that Wufei still couldn't quite define, needed each other.

"So," Trowa finally released Wufei's leg and then jerked Wufei's chair closer to his own. "Tell me about this Rude Boy of yours."

-o-


	3. Chapter 3

A/N1: So, decided to write a sequel to this. I've had a few people ask and, well, the mood struck me.

A/N2: Thank you always to Ro for editing. And to Kangfu-CB for Enabling.

Warnings: sex, language

Pairings: 2x5, 3x5, 2x3x5, Rx1, MxH

 _The Green Door_

Chapter Three

Wufei arrived at the restaurant ten minutes early, a little proud of himself for not being late. He valued punctuality, but he wasn't always the best at it. There always seemed to be one more _thing_ that he had to do before he could get to where he needed to go.

Of course, it was would just his luck, and karmic retribution, if Duo turned out to be fifteen minutes late or something.

Fully expecting to be waiting for at least twenty minutes, Wufei walked into the restaurant and was surprised to see Duo, who he recognized instantly, sitting at the bar, a rocks glass filled with something clear and colorless in front of him.

Duo looked up when the door opened, clearly mid-bite on an ice cube, and despite the classical Baroque musical playing at a soft volume in the restaurant, Wufei distinctly heard the crunch of Duo's molars obliterating the cube.

The man had his hair loose tonight, falling just past his shoulders in a cascade of rich chestnut that Wufei found himself very eager to touch. To pull.

That wasn't the only enticing thing about him. He was dressed in solid black - black jeans, black boots and a black button-up shirt, the top two buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up to reveal tanned forearms and a tattoo on his right arm that Wufei couldn't quite make out.

Duo grinned, the expression slow and warm as it spread across his face, and it felt only natural to smile back at him.

Wufei waited while the other man got off his bar stool, pulled out his wallet, and paid for his drink before tossing it back in one go and then approaching Wufei.

"Hey," Duo said, still grinning.

"It's good to see you again," Wufei said, meaning it.

Duo's grin grew.

"Yeah? It's good to see you, too. You look nice." Duo's blue gaze raked over him, an appreciative gleam in his eyes as he took in Wufei's trim physique, the fitted, shawl-collared violet sweater he wore, and the dark wash jeans that were tight enough to draw attention to his thighs and ass.

"So do you," Wufei assured him, and Duo's lips twitched. He shrugged one shoulder, but instead of demurring, he gestured towards the hostess not-so patiently waiting for them to get over their awkward first date dialogue.

"Reservations for Maxwell," Duo said.

The woman nodded.

"Of course. Right this way." She gathered two sets of menus, separate sushi menus, and then gestured for them to follow her into the restaurant.

It was fairly full at this time on a Saturday night, and they were led to a table near the back so small that their knees bumped together under the table.

Duo grinned at that.

"Playing footsie on the first date?" Duo teased. "You move fast."

Wufei chuckled and rolled his eyes.

He was a little surprised - Duo had seemed very nervous on the phone the other night, and he had been similarly anxious at the store all those weeks ago.

What was it he had said?

 _I used to be pretty good at this, or, well, I didn't used to suck this much._

Apparently, there was some merit to those words.

Their waiter arrived to take their drink orders - waters and two bottles of coedo shiro - before leaving them to peruse the menus.

"We usually just-" Duo started, and then instantly stopped, scowling down at the menu.

"What?" Wufei prompted him.

"Nothing. Sorry." Duo shook his head. "I was just being an idiot. Um. Anyway." Duo shot him a rueful smile. "Are you one of those people who likes to share a bunch of sushi, or do you prefer to do your own thing?"

Wufei frowned, still wondering what Duo had been about to say, wondering why he was an idiot, but then he put it together.

Duo had been about to comment on what he had done with his ex - had likely been about to say that he and the nebulous _other_ used to share different sushi orders.

Wufei shrugged.

"I've done it both ways. Which do you prefer?"

The question took Duo a little aback.

"I… You know, I've always wanted to try the Uni Flight - all the different sea urchin things? But my ex was never a fan and…" Duo trailed off with a sigh. "I'm sorry."

Wufei shrugged again.

"You don't need to apologize. I know you broke up recently, and that you dated your ex for a long time. I'm sure you've spent a lot of time recently figuring out how to untangle your lives. I would hate for you to think you can't talk about it."

Duo gave him a look.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I've been doing. But you don't want to hear about that - not on a _date,_ for fuck's sake, and-"

"Get the Uni Flight. I was thinking about the Nigiri Flight myself. So this works out perfectly."

The waiter returned with their drinks, depositing a bowl of steamed edamame between them before taking their orders and promising to check on them again soon.

Duo reached for one slender green bean eagerly, fingers fiddling with it, making no attempt to eat it.

Wufei eat three of the things while Duo sat there in silence.

"You already know what I do for a living," Wufei said. "What do you do?"

"Oh." Duo finally ate the piece of edamame in his hands and then discarded the shell. "I work at the library over on Hamilton."

"You're a librarian?" Wufei couldn't help but smirk at the very notion of _him_ dating a librarian. Trowa was going to lose it when Wufei told him. _Meilan_ , if she ever found out, would never let him live it down.

Duo arched an eyebrow.

"You say that like you don't believe me?"

"No, no - I saw you read the care instructions on the back of your… purchase. I know you can read. You just aren't what I picture when I think of librarians."

Duo snorted.

"It takes a little more than mere reading comprehension - and I left my glasses and cardigan at work. We rotate them out, you know."

"That makes sense. Cost efficient, too," Wufei nodded.

Duo grinned.

"Yeah, but Alex is like eight inches taller and forty pounds heavier than me, so he always stretches it out."

Wufei chuckled, and passed Duo another piece of edamame.

Their fingers brushed as Duo took it, eyes sparkling as he munched on it.

"I've read a few books," Wufei said, and Duo's lips twitched.

"Have you? I'm impressed. For work or recreationally?"

Wufei smirked, sliding the empty shell from between his lips slowly and sensually before depositing it in the discard bowl. Duo's eyes were glued to his mouth.

"My work is mostly geared _towards_ recreation," he pointed out, and then leaned forward and pitched his voice lower. "But I do read things that aren't entirely devoted to sex."

"Not entirely, huh?"

Wufei decided that, as endearing as nervous Duo was, _this_ Duo - flirting back, a wicked curve to his full lips and his blue eyes dancing between blue and violet - was every bit, if not more alluring.

"Hm. Some of the books don't even have pictures. Just words."

Duo's eyes widened comically.

"Wow. I _am_ impressed." Duo was the one to hold out edamame to Wufei this time, and their eyes held as they made the exchange, as Wufei's fingers stroked over Duo's before taking it.

Duo sat back in his chair and took a sip of his beer, letting the atmosphere between them simmer.

"What genre do you go for? Sorry. I was going to let it go and say something flirty instead, but you piqued my interest, and I _am_ a book nerd."

Wufei chuckled, and Duo joined him, a little rueful, and Wufei appreciated that Duo's humor had a bit of self-deprecation to it.

"Mostly science fiction, some history. I just finished Kim Stanley Robinson's new book - _2140_?"

Duo nodded and sat up a bit straighter in his seat, eyes taking on an entirely different kind of gleam.

"Yeah, it was great, huh? The guy's brilliant - I've been a fan of his ever since I stole my brother's copy of _Red Mars_ back when I was in like fifth grade."

" _Red Mars_? I've only read this one, and _The Years of Rice and Salt_."

"Yeah - it's the first of a trilogy. _Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars_. It's about terraforming Mars, and they are- they're dense. Like _2140_ , but so spectacular and worth the investment."

"I'll have to add them to my list." Wufei said.

Duo's enthusiasm was infectious, and they spent the next several minutes sharing their favorite books, complaining about terrible film adaptations, and then, as their food was set down in front of them, Duo drew in a deep breath and then released it in a sigh.

Wufei arched an eyebrow at him as Duo pointed his chopsticks at Wufei.

"Okay. I was going to save this for the second date, but I can't. I gotta know right now."

It was on the tip of his tongue to tease Duo for his confidence about a _second_ date, but he imagined that Duo probably wouldn't react all that well to that kind of dig.

"Alright," Wufei gave a sigh of his own, " Michael Keaton was the best Batman."

Duo stared at him and then laughed, the sound bright and warm, rich in a way that made Wufei want to hear him laugh again. Preferably when they were naked and Wufei could _feel_ the sound.

"Okay, well, _that_ was definitely getting saved for date number two, but I'm relieved we're on the same page there." Duo leaned forward. "Star Wars?"

"If I told you I liked _The Phantom Menace_ , what would you do?"

"I'd ask for the check immediately," Duo responded.

"Hm. Then it's a good thing I pretend the prequels don't exist."

"Only way to keep yourself sane," Duo agreed with a sage nod.

Wufei smirked.

"If you'd asked me that question five years ago, my answer would have been _Empire_."

Duo nodded in agreement.

"But now?"

" _Rogue One_ ," Wufei shrugged.

Duo's smile was broad, and Wufei couldn't help but feel a little dazzled. The man even had a _dimple_. It was on the opposite side of his mouth than Trowa's dimple was - not that the man ever smiled enough for Wufei to really see it. And _that_ was a realization that was going to inspire a lot of late-night fantasies, Wufei was sure.

"Same," Duo agreed. "So fucking same. I was blown away by it. I still- I think I'm still processing it two years later."

Wufei nodded in complete agreement.

They ate their meals in relative silence, punctuated by a handful of other pop-culture temperature checks that had them aligned on almost everything.

Duo, despite showing general good taste, actually _enjoyed_ the new _Batman_ franchise.

Wufei refused to acknowledge any fault in the _Avengers_ films.

They finished their meals and negotiated a split of the check - Duo insisting he pay, and then scoffing when Wufei suggested that _he_ should pay - and then walked out of the restaurant together.

There was a slight chill in the evening air, and Duo rolled the sleeves of his shirt down as they walked down the sidewalk together, shoulders bumping, towards the public parking lot near the park downtown.

"This was nice," Duo said as they neared the rows of cars.

"It was," Wufei agreed, and then, because he was curious and had a hard time not being blunt, he added a question. "Was this your first date since you broke up?"

Duo shrugged, and then nodded.

"Yeah. I mean. I did the whole thing where I took the train to Philly and did the drunken hook-up thing a few times. Cleanse the palate or whatever - but this is the first _date_ date I've been on."

"Cleanse the palate? How did that work?"

Duo snorted.

"Not all that well. I actually said _his_ name while this other guy was fucking me. That went over like a ton of bricks."

"I can only imagine," Wufei agreed, sympathetic. He had never been with one person for more than a few months, preferring instead to keep his relationships casual, and very open. But Duo had been with the same person for two years, and while Wufei didn't know the details of their relationship beyond that, not really, he could imagine it was difficult to move on.

They came to a stop beside Wufei's car.

"Where are you parked?" he asked Duo.

"Oh, I walked. I just live a few blocks away," Duo made a vague gesture in the same direction as the library where he apparently worked.

"Don't tell me you live beside the library?"

Duo ducked his head.

" _No._ I live across the street."

Wufei, who drove down Hamilton sometimes to avoid the traffic on Main Street, tried to picture the house across from the library. It was a Craftsman bungalow, he thought, covered in cedar shake shingles stained a rich, dark brown.

"Want a ride home?" he offered.

Duo looked at him, considering.

"Yeah," he finally said. "That would be nice."

The ride was tense, the silence between them thick with anticipation. Duo restlessly drummed his fingers on his own thighs, eyes fixed on the window to his side.

It was also, thankfully, a quick ride.

Wufei parked in the driveway, behind a beat-up Subaru SUV.

He got out of the car as Duo fiddled with the door handle on his side, and Wufei was glad that he had been right about the house - it was a Craftsman bungalow. He had never stopped to look at it closely, however, and now that he was only feet away from the expansive front porch, he could see the details of a home well cared for.

The trim was painted a bright teal, the color standing out even in the dark of night. The door and windows looked original, or at least like they were replicas of the original, hundred-year-old plus house. There was a wooden porch swing, covered with pillows, and a welcome mat in front of the door.

It looked far more like a home than Wufei's apartment, and he wondered at that, remembering what Duo had said about having to find a new place to live.

This place didn't look like the home of a newly-dumped man.

Duo came up to stand beside him, arching an eyebrow at Wufei's inspection of his home.

"It's a nice place," Wufei finally said.

Duo nodded.

"Yeah. I've always loved this place, but-" Duo paused and sighed. "Anyway, it went on the market like… five weeks ago? The owners wanted to move down to Florida full-time, and I knew them, and I… Basically, I begged them to let me buy it. I sent them a letter - like, hand-delivered the damn thing with a plate of cookies - and told them how much I wanted to take care of this house, how much I loved seeing the changing seasons through the shake shingles and- Anyway. I closed on it two weeks ago, and just finished moving all of my crap in two days ago. I wanted to get settled, you know?"

Wufei could understand the sentiment, even if the idea of buying a _house_ after breaking up with a partner of at least two years seemed like a horrifying rebound move to him. Then again, buying a house at _all_ seemed like the kind of investment and commitment that Wufei feared most.

"So…" Duo shoved his hands into his front pockets and rocked on his heels. "I had a really great time tonight. And I really appreciate you just kind of… letting me stumble my way through this date."

"You didn't stumble."

Duo snorted.

"Yeah, I stumbled. A lot." He looked over at Wufei.

Wufei shrugged, seeing no reason to argue the point. Instead, he reached out one hand. After a moment, Duo pulled his right hand free of his pocket and slid it into Wufei's.

He laced their fingers together and gently tugged Duo forward, until there were only a few inches separating them.

"I had a really great time tonight, too," Wufei told him.

Duo's lips tilted up, and he leaned closer, nudging his nose against Wufei's.

"Good," Duo said, and then closed the remaining space between them.

Wufei had expected the kiss to be tentative, but Duo's mouth against his own felt sure and confident, lips still curved upwards, pressing forward just enough to make Wufei shiver and want more.

The kiss ended, and Wufei savored the lingering heat of Duo's lips as he pulled away.

"So, about that second date," Duo said.

"What about it?" Wufei asked, staring at Duo's mouth and wishing the other man would kiss him again.

"The Dark Room is showing _Contact_ next Friday and Saturday."

Wufei shook his head. He had already promised Trowa that he would come see his band perform on Saturday, and Wufei had to work the closing shift at _The Green Door_ on Friday.

"I'm busy," he apologized, and then paused. "But I _do_ have _Contact_ on Blu-Ray."

"Yeah? I happen to have a coffee table that is the perfect size for a pizza box."

Wufei chuckled.

"What night are you free?" Duo asked, leaning back in and pressing another kiss to the corner of Wufei's mouth.

Wufei turned his head, capturing Duo's lips.

Their hands shifted, Duo's wrapping around Wufei's waist, Wufei's finally getting a chance to bury themselves in Duo's hair, and the kiss deepened.

Duo's tongue teased along Wufei's lips, parting them, and Wufei couldn't help but make a sound of contentment as their tongues met, as Duo mapped his mouth, as his fingers stroked along Wufei's spine, as Wufei's skin seemed to tingle with awareness.

"Well?" Duo prompted when they broke for air.

"Well what?" Wufei repeated, confused.

Duo grinned.

"What night are you free?"

Wufei felt himself blush, and _that_ was a rare enough sensation that he almost stumbled over his next words.

"Tuesday and Wednesday."

Duo nodded.

"I'm hosting a resume workshop at the library on Wednesday night, but on Tuesday, we close at seven. I can be home by 7:01. 7:02 at the latest."

Wufei snorted a laugh at that, looking at the brick building across the street that housed the library.

"That sounds good. I can bring the movie and… beer?" he offered.

Duo nodded.

"That sounds perfect."

One last, quick kiss, a tantalizing flick of tongue and a surge of heat, and then Duo stepped out of Wufei's embrace.

"See you soon," Duo said.

Wufei could only nod.

 _Not_ , Wufei thought ruefully as he got into his car and drove away, _soon enough._

-o-


End file.
